There’s no such thing as a lost cause, as recent medical research demonstrates. Cleveland Clinic Wellness reports:

For a recent study, a group of sedentary, middle-aged adults started exercising four or five times a week, with one short, strenuous interval-based workout and three or four moderate-intensity workouts that lasted at least 30 minutes. Two years later, the participants were fitter, and their heart muscles were more youthful and healthier. In other words, you can teach an old heart new tricks!

So don’t lose hope — even if you’ve never been fit, you can substantively improve your health by making concrete changes going forward. The clinic suggests: “Start where you are, no matter your age, and build up to about 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise a week.”